A mind that is lost in thought, or one that overthinks, can create pressure and tension, within your body. An overactive mind can lead you to feel stressed, anxious or depressed.
Stress is when your mind gets lost and caught up in your thoughts. You can find yourself feeling tense, worried or overwhelmed. Anxiety is when you are thinking lots of fearful thoughts about the future. Depression is when you don’t want to feel at all, or think thoughts that create negative feelings.
Being overwhelmed by these conditions is common in the West today, sadly they are almost seen as normal. While working towards mental stability and well-being, be patient and kind towards yourself. Have faith that you do have the inner strength to feel whole and happy again and that you do not have to live with these conditions on an ongoing basis. Happiness is your birthright. Joy is your true nature.
As stress is a condition of the mind, it makes sense to work with your mind, to feel calm and peaceful again. While you do not have control over the outside world, the great news is your mind is the one thing you do have complete control over. By taking the time and effort to learn how to work with your mind, just as you exercise to build muscle, you will find that it is possible to make positive choices around your mind, rather than having your mind control you.
The 4 top stress-busting tips:
1. Relax: Learn how to fully relax and experience the joy and bliss that is inherent within all of us. It is possible to become a slave to your mind; if the mind is left unchecked it can unconsciously drive you with negative thoughts that make you feel tense and unhappy.
When you let go of your thoughts and relax into the present moment, it allows you to be happy right now. For example, when you are free of negative thoughts, you are more likely to notice the little things such as the sun on your face or delicious softness of the couch supporting your body. Spending 20 minutes in the sun or nature, can automatically help you to relax and enjoy the present moment.
2. Take a Step Back: Now and then take a moment to pause and take a break from the busyness of life. Every hour if possible, even if you have to set an alarm to remind yourself to relax and refocus. Just like you have to restart your computer when it has too many applications open to function.
When you go beyond the stress and tension that your mind creates, it feels amazing just to be in your body. When you learn to work with your mind and emotions, it is possible to be in a blissful state on a regular basis. Your racing mind can often carry you away; your thoughts can be so strong and powerful that, when unmonitored, it can lead to situations that create stress and unhappiness
Your state of mind directly relates to the joy you experience in your relationships. Unconsciously, you can find yourself deep in thought, based on your past conditioning (past experiences) and that can create fear towards others. In these situations, you aren’t seeing the other person as a divine and loving human being, because of your judgment towards them. Teach yourself to go beyond judgements about others and connect to them in warm and accepting ways to watch your relationships flourish.
3. Ask Questions: “What am I thinking now?” is a helpful question. What you are thinking is particularly relevant when you feel any discomfort in the body, as your thoughts feed your emotions. After some practice you will start to notice patterns in how you feel and what you are currently thinking. If you are unconsciously thinking negative thoughts or holding onto negative beliefs, your body will feel tense. If so you have the complete power to change your thoughts to ones that make you feel relaxed and restore your sense of well-being.
4. Meditate: When you feel stressed, redirect your attention to your body. Creating space and quiet time to go within can be helpful. When your mind is racing, you usually feel confused, not knowing where things start and end. When you take the time to go within and observe your unsettled emotions until they pass—you will reconnect to your true nature—your happy, loving self.
Tips for meditation
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- Sit quietly and focus on your breath. Take three deeps breaths to help you relax and settle into your body.
- Direct your attention to your toes and then focus for a few seconds on each of body part, ascending all the way up to the top of your head. Focussing on specific areas of your body, redirects your attention from your mind and thoughts taps you into the awareness of your greater body. Redistributing your energy from your head to your body usually helps you to feel supported.
- Take an overall snapshot of the energy of your body and observe any tension in a neutral, non-judgemental way.
- You may find that you become aware of the thoughts that have been fuelling the tension. This is an opportunity to change your thoughts to ones that support you.
What you are thinking is really important. If you are thinking unconscious fearful thoughts, you can make those fears come true if you think them often enough. Working with your thoughts allows you to plan and create a wonderful future for yourself. You can also develop faith and trust that everything will be OK. When you let go of fear and live in a more consistently loving state, you will find that stress dissolves and that your natural state of well-being will return.
